Really the question is why sulfurs… There are 3 main groups of fruits and vegetables you should be concerned with for health. There are others, like starches, but today we’re mainly concerned with the big 3: - Leafy greens- Colours- Sulfurs

You can get all these sulfur benefits from the cabbage family, the onion family and the mushroom family…

The cabbage family includes kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, radishes, and turnips. These contain compounds known as glucosinolates that have been shown to support detoxification, reduce oxidative stress and protect brains cells. These vegetables also contain potent antioxidants which help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

The onion family are rich in allicin sulfides which have a long history of medicinal use across many cultures because of their antibacterial properties and blood vessel health promoting properties… The onion family includes red and yellow onions, garlic, leeks, scallions and shallots.

Finally, mushrooms… These are rich in sulfur and B vitamins, and have been used medicinally in Asia for thousands of years. They contain beta-D-glucan and frucogalactans, components of the cell walls of mushrooms and these compounds stimulate the natural killer cells that balance the immune system and protect against cancer.

In brief, you are collapsing at the hip and taking your foot and ankle with you… ​

In this photo we see that the ankles have collapsed - one worse than the other and something that would normally be treated with orthotics - however this is just treating the symptom… For an ankle to look like this, 3 things have happened:

1. The shin has rotated inward2. The leg has moved toward the midline3. The leg has lowered [moved closer to the floor]

Imagine running like this…

The shin rotates inward and the arch collapses; the arch is built to support your weight during ambulation, and a collapsed one will cost you significant support and power while taxing the f***out of your joints. “The leg has moved toward the midline” roughly translates as the knees have caved in; this pulls the quad ligament off axis and is no longer perpendicular to your knee cap. The leg has lowered - this is clearly a problem, especially if it’s just the one leg…

Take this twisted, collapsed and uneven gait, now multiply it by the number of steps in a daily dog walk, a marathon, or a year of running, and what are you left with?

Medical problems… That’s what.

Because I know long term health and running aren’t viewed as particularly cool in the CrossFit world, lets apply this to lifting big weights… It’s a simple as this: to lift big weights you need to be structurally stable, which means you need to be aligned properly. Collapsed arches, valgus knees and shitty ligament positioning will not allow you to support high loads, produce as much force, and therefore lift as much weight… Obvs.

Here is what I would do:

First, I’d fix my general stance…

1. Feet under the hips2. Feet pointing straight3. Hips aligned over the heels*Hips over the heels is important and a pretty big topic best saved for another time… Assuming someone is interested enough to ask…*4. Neutral femurs

Whenever you’re standing throughout the day, hit these four points.

It is the neutral femur that will uncollapse - if that’s even a word - your knees and ankles. This will require external rotation of the femur, coming from the muscles of your hips, and the degree of which will depend on how much they currently are and have been internally rotated day to day…

Second, I would try figure out what is causing the problem in the first place, then fix it…

- Is it stiff quads? Stiff quads will rob you of external rotation and cause your knees to collapse in. What are your stiff quads caused by? Standing with your hips over your toes? Poor running or squatting technique? Sitting all day? Weak posterior chain? All of the above [quite probably]? - Is it your true ankle range? If you’re missing true ankle range of motion you will have no choice but toe out, leading towards collapsed knees and ankles… - Is it weak hip rotators and lateral hip muscles? - Is it a weak abductor hallucis? - Is it knee aids?

Whatever it is, we need to identify it and fix it…

For athlete X, it is a combination of things…

Externally rotating and pushing out hard [into the band] instantly stabilized her hips and put her leg into a much better position. Going deeper, however, without enough ankle range the toe is forced out and the foot, knee and hip collapses again… Which I don't have a photo of... Sorry.

We know that with stronger and more active hip rotators and lateral hip muscles, we can improve her alignment and position. Next, we need to improve her ankle range of motion - this starts with lengthening and strengthening the hammies for reasons covered in a previous blog. Over time, her walking, lifting, running, and general quality of life will greatly improve.

“Sit the f*** down and have a beer…”

~ Coach Collins

Copyright 2018

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.